Coronavirus: corpses discovered in retirement homes in Spain

A macabre discovery. Spanish soldiers have discovered abandoned elderly people, sometimes even dead in their beds, in retirement homes hit by the coronavirus epidemic, the Defense Minister said in Madrid on Monday.

"We will be relentless and adamant with the way people are treated in these residences," assured Margarita Robles, on Telecinco television. "During certain visits, the army has been able to see absolutely abandoned elderly people, sometimes even dead people in their beds," she said, without giving any details on these discoveries.

The public prosecutor's office announced that it was opening "investigations aimed at determining the gravity of the facts".

Spanish funeral services overwhelmed

Several Spanish media have explained that in case of suspected coronavirus, the protocol provides that the corpses will not be touched until the arrival of the doctor and the funeral directors. But, with the multiplication of deaths, the funeral services, overwhelmed, would sometimes delay intervening.

The army has been responsible for intervening and disinfecting retirement homes, after dozens of deaths have been reported in several establishments, notably in Madrid and in the Castilla-La Mancha region in the center of the country.

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"Residences for the elderly are an absolute priority for the government, we will exercise the greatest control over these centers, we have mobilized all means", assured during a press conference the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa .

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Spain is the second country - after Italy - most affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, with more than 33,000 reported cases and nearly 2,200 deaths recorded since February 13.